A clown participating in a Memorial Day paradeA clown today is one of various types of comedic performers, on stage, television, in the circus and rodeo. Though not every clown is readily identifiable by appearance alone, clowns frequently appear in makeup, and costume as well as typically large footwear, oversized or otherwise outlandish clothing, bright colors and patterns or patchwork, a funny or unusual hat or wig or wildly unusual hairstyle and/or color, often with bulbous or otherwise unusual nose, and enacting humorous sketches, usually in the interludes between major presentations. The clown's humor today is often visual and includes many elements of physical comedy or slapstick humor but not exclusively. for instance, Wavy Gravy 's comedy is often cerebral, spiritual, or even political in nature.1 History
Clowning is an ancient art form, which appears in some manner in virtually every culture. An early form of clowns was the court jester, a role that can be traced back to ancient Egypt. Though most jesters suffered from some physical deformity and were often the butt of jokes, they were often the only courtiers who enjoyed free speech, and could usually freely speak their minds to the monarch.
2 Word Origin
The word clown comes from words meaning "clot" or "clod" which came also to mean "clumsy fellow", according to the Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary (OED is a comprehensive multi-volume dictionary published by the Oxford University Press. Generally regarded as the definitive dictionary of Modern English, it defines around 500,000 headwords and includes some 2. 5 million i.
Clown is both a noun and a verb, and can also be an adjective (clown bike, clown shoes, clown white, clown gag and so on). Clown is also used to refer to anyone who provides entertainment in a clownish manner. Within the 'clown world', and among professional clowns, "clown" often refers to the character portrayed, rather than the performer. This usage is somewhat rare outside of the professional clown and/or theatrical community.
3 Clown Skills
It has been said "clowns can do anything", this is mostly because clowns have such wildly varying performances. 'Everyone knows' that a clown can do magic, juggle, balance things on his nose, do backflips, ride a unicycle, etc, but clowns might be called on to do just about anything.
In the circus, a clown might be convinced to perform another circus role:
- Walk a tightrope or highwire. Or a slack rope. Or a piece of rope on the ground, though in the latter case, the predictably unpredictable clown might be just as likely to wrestle around on the gound with it, as if it were a boa constrictor.
- Ride a horse or zebra or donkey or elephant... or even an ostrich.
- Substitute himself in the role of "lion tamer"
- Act as "emcee", from M.C. or Master of Ceremonies, the preferred term for a clown taking on the role of "Ringmaster"
- 'Sit in' with the orchestra perhaps in a 'pin spot' in the center ring, or from a seat next to YOU, in the audience... he might even don 'tux and tails' and 'sneak' into the orchestra pit - a guarantee of hilarious cacaphony
- Anything any other circus performer might do, as, in this case it would not be uncommon for an acrobat, horse-back rider, lion tamer, etc. to secretly stand-in for the clown, the "switch" taking place in a brief moment offstage.
4 Types
There are several different types of clowns, including:
- the whiteface clown, the most well-known of modern clown types - Joey Grimaldi was a whiteface clown.
- the grotesque clown: who uses exaggerated make-up and costumes. Lou Jacobs is a famous grotesque clown.
- the character clown: who adopts the character of some common type, often a policeman or a hoboTo quote the hobos' own definitions: #A hobo is an itinerant worker, a tramp is an itinerant non-worker and a bum is a non-itinerant non-worker. A hobo was a member of a distinctive sub-culture of homeless, travelling workers in the United States during t. Prime examples of this type of clown are Emmett KellyEmmett Kelly ( 1898 March 28, 1979), a native of Sedan, Kansas, was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie," based on the hobos of the Depression era. Kelly began his career as a trapeze artist. He only started and Charlie ChaplinFor the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). Sir Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin ( April 16, 1889 December 25, 1977) was the most famous actor in early to mid Hollywood cinema, and later also a notable director. His pri. Lucy Ricardo, the most famous character played by Lucille BallVivian Vance as Ethel on an episode of I Love Lucy Lucille Desiree Ball ( August 6, 1911 April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian and star of I Love Lucy. A 'B-grade' movie star of the 1940s, she became one of the best and most popular stars in t is considered by clowns to be a character clown.
- The rodeo clownA rodeo clown or bull fighter is a rodeo performer who works on bull riding contests. His job is to protect the rider from the bull after he dismounts or is bucked off, by distracting the bull and providing alternative targets for the bull to chase. Rodeo has one of the most dangerous jobs in all of show business. A rodeo clown is a courageous and hard-working cowboy or animal wrangler, dressed in wild costumes - almost always oversized and consisting of loose fitting layers of clothing to protect them from, and to distract, Rodeo bulls, etc. The looseness of the layers allows a rodeo clown to shed portions of their attire in the event of its being snagged. This professional -- whose highly dangerous job is to protect other performers from bucking horses and charging bulls while at the same time entertaining the audience with the antics of a clown -- might tell you: "Druther lose a shirt than lose my life".
- The Pierrot, or "french clown", appears in whiteface, typically with very little other color on the face. This clown character prefers black and white or very plain and unflamboyant color in his or her (le pierrot is often female, and has also been called "Pirouette") costume.
- Harlequin, or Arlecchino, a character originally from Commedia dell'Arte, is a 'motley' clown - in 'commedia', Arlecchino used a cane to 'whack' the other performers, this is believed to be the origin of ' slapstick' a form of physical comedy. A slapstick (battacio in Italian) is a prop with two flat flexible wooden pieces mounted in parallel, the two sticks slap together when the implement is struck, causing a slapping sound, exaggerating the effect of a comedic blow.
- the Auguste : accompanying a circus clown, as part of a troupe, or as one of a clown duo, there is often another clown character known as an auguste, but the auguste's role is different from the other clowns, he is the 'straight man' in most gags. The Auguste is so self-important that the audience inevitably takes the other clown to heart as their protagonist. Bongo, of the duo Bongo and Clownzo , is an Auguste clown, which moniker he might assure you means "dignified and respectable".
The Auguste is the zaniest and most foolish of the clown's group, yet attempts to look dignified, and thinks of himself as smart and superior and wise, which only lends to the comedic effect when he receives his inevitable come-uppance. The cleverer clown (the sidekick) always gets the better of the auguste. The auguste gets the pie in the face, is squirted with water, is knocked down on his backside, sits in the wet paint, etc.
